A look at BlackBerry maker Research in Motion

Tim Neil, Research In Motion Ltd.'s Canadian Operating Director of Operations, Platforms and Tools, speaks about the Blackberry 10 architecture during the RIM Blackberry 10 Jam World Tour in Toronto on Thursday June 21, 2012. The first BlackBerry device running RIM's new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)
— AP

Tim Neil, Research In Motion Ltd.'s Canadian Operating Director of Operations, Platforms and Tools, speaks about the Blackberry 10 architecture during the RIM Blackberry 10 Jam World Tour in Toronto on Thursday June 21, 2012. The first BlackBerry device running RIM's new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)
/ AP

Tim Neil, Research In Motion Ltd.'s Canadian Operating Director of Operations, Platforms and Tools, speaks about the Blackberry 10 architecture during the RIM Blackberry 10 Jam World Tour in Toronto on Thursday June 21, 2012. The first BlackBerry device running RIM's new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)— AP

Tim Neil, Research In Motion Ltd.'s Canadian Operating Director of Operations, Platforms and Tools, speaks about the Blackberry 10 architecture during the RIM Blackberry 10 Jam World Tour in Toronto on Thursday June 21, 2012. The first BlackBerry device running RIM's new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)
/ AP

Research In Motion Ltd., the Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry, said Thursday that the first device running its new BlackBerry 10 operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one.

Top-selling smartphones these days, including Apple Inc.'s iPhone and several running Google's Android software, also lack physical keyboards. But RIM's attempts in the past to offer touch-only phones have largely flopped. Many corporate users have stuck with the BlackBerry solely because of its physical keyboard, but they may not wait longer.

Here's a look at recent developments as the company struggles to regain market share lost to the iPhone and Android devices:

Sept. 15, 2011: RIM reports a sharp drop in net income and revenue in the fiscal second quarter and says it has sold far fewer PlayBook tablet computers than it expected.

Oct. 10: Email and Internet services are disrupted for three days, primarily outside North America. RIM says a crucial link in its infrastructure had failed, and a backup didn't work either. By the third day, other users, including those in the U.S. and Canada, were affected by a backlog of traffic.

Oct. 25: RIM says it is delaying the launch of an upgraded operating system for the PlayBook until February, saying it isn't up to its standards yet. The company also says the new version initially won't have the popular messaging service BlackBerry Messenger. It's the third delay announced since the features were promised in April.

Dec. 2: RIM says it is writing off much of its inventory of PlayBook tablets after it had to sell them at a deep discount. The model originally priced at $500 now costs $200. The company says it's taking a pre-tax charge of $485 million in the just-ended quarter. RIM also says it will sell fewer BlackBerrys in the holiday quarter than in the one that just ended. It also says it won't meet full-year earnings guidance of $5.25 to $6 per share, the third cut in a row.

Dec. 6: RIM says "BlackBerry 10" will be the new name for its next-generation system after the company loses a trademark ruling on its previous name, BBX.

Dec. 15: RIM says new phones deemed critical to the company's future won't be out until late 2012. The company says the BlackBerry 10 phones will need a highly integrated chipset that won't be available until mid-2012, so the company can now expect the new phones to ship late in the year. The company also says BlackBerry sales will fall sharply in the holiday quarter compared with the three months that ended Nov. 26. RIM says it would only ship between 11 million and 12 million BlackBerrys in the fourth quarter, down from 14.1 million in the third quarter.

Jan. 22, 2012: RIM founder Mike Lazaridis and long-time executive Jim Balsillie announce they will step down as co-CEOs. Thorsten Heins, a chief operating officer who joined RIM four years ago from Siemens AG, was named as their replacement. Lazaridis and Balsillie remain on the board.